


Of Books & Little Wolf Hours

by erciareyes



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bookstore AU, Bookstore owner Derek, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 17:38:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5975629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erciareyes/pseuds/erciareyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles isn't sure when they had turned from enemies to…well…this. He doesn't really know what 'this' is but it feels nice, like they are some kind of friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Books & Little Wolf Hours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gryvon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gryvon/gifts).



> Dear Jenna (I looked up that name on Tumblr and I don't know if it's your real name, so if it isn't: I'm sorry ^__^) 
> 
> I really hope that this little fanfic is at least partly what you wished for. I had some more ideas for this fanfic, so maybe in a few weeks or so, I'll write a sequel for this. 
> 
> I do hope you enjoy this little piece of fluff, filled with happy kids and a (mostly) happy Derek. (We all know Derek deserves happiness)
> 
> Love,  
> Your Secret Valentine

If someone had told Stiles that Derek Hale would one day be the owner of a small bookshop, he'd have told them off for talking nonsense. Derek Hale and a bookshop? The joke of the century. Never ever. 

It wasn't because he thought Derek was stupid or not the type to read books, hell he knew Derek loved books, cherished and collected them. He'd just never thought that one day Derek would end up in a little shop selling books to old ladies and children with a smile on his face and a cup of tea in his hand. It was a weird picture. Weird, but very nice.   
"Hey Derek, where do these go?" Stiles points to the boxes of new books that just arrived by mail. There's some crime stories in there that he'd love to get his hands on, a few colorful books for kids and the latest "Game Of Thrones" sequel in a collector's edition which, Stiles was sure of it, wasn't meant to go in the shop. 

"The Collector's Edition book is mine." Derek said and Stiles internally high-fived himself. Nailed it! "The kids books into the kids section, last row to the right, there's some empty shelves prepared." 

Stiles carefully unpacks the books from the boxes and grabs Derek's book. 

"Game Of Thrones, huh? Do you watch the show, too?" 

Stiles walks over to the alpha werewolf, turning the book in his hands before handing it over to Derek. 

"Yeah I do, I like the books better though. There's a lot of descriptions of places and situations, I like that a lot. It's why I like Tolkien, too. A lot of information, the world just builds itself in your mind." 

Stiles nods. "Totally, I get what you mean. I mean, I am more of a crime type of reader but I like an author with world-building skills. I like Tolkien, too, but I guess…I never actually finished a Tolkien book."

Derek's eyes widened in surprise. "You haven't? Not even the Hobbit?" 

"Nah. It's a bit long, you know what I mean? It's just…I can't focus long enough to read through all that information and he tends to take a while to get to the point. Don't get me wrong, it's good and I love the story. I just can't read it." 

Stiles blushes a bit under Derek's still surprised gaze and plays with his fingers. It's true, for someone that's considered the pack's researcher, he has a very short attention span and his ability to focus on one thing doesn't hold for a long time but if it does…well…they all knew that Stiles was really great at doing research and knew exactly where to look for things. Working through all that material though, that wasn't really his favorite part. 

"I'll just…I'll go put the kids books away." Stiles says and turns to get the books when Derek gently grabs his wrist. 

"Stiles, it's okay. I…I understand. It's hard to focus for such a long time." 

Derek squeezes his wrist and Stiles tries to smile. He feels like Derek doesn't really understand and it's okay, he knows that Derek doesn't mean to pity him or make fun of him. Derek's just trying to understand him and make him feel better, like he always does. 

He gives Derek a weak smile before vanishing between the shelves on his way to the kids section. 

\-----------

Stiles isn't sure when they had turned from enemies to…well…this. He doesn't really know what 'this' is but it feels nice, like they are some kind of friends. Stiles helps Derek out in the store whenever he's got time next to college and work. Most Saturdays he spends putting all the new arrivals into the shelves so that Derek can focus on 'Little Wolf Hour', a reading hour for small kids. 

The first time Stiles had seen Derek do 'Little Wolf Hour', he'd nearly fallen off the ladder. There he was, the big bad werewolf, doing princess and dragon voices in ridiculous costumes and the kids loved him. Sometimes, after the reading hour, they climbed into his lap to cuddle and play with him and Derek seemed to enjoy spending time with the kids. 

Stiles had asked himself more than once if maybe that's what Derek had done when all of his family had still been alive. He knows that Derek lost a big part of his family almost 10 years ago and every time he sees Derek with the kids he can't help but think about his cousins he sometimes talks about. 

Derek also talks about Laura & Lydia's kids a lot and sometimes, when they were visiting Beacon Hills, Derek lets them join 'Little Wolf Hour' and help him do the voices. Angie and Marlon love running around in costumes in the shop, playing Queen & Knight (Angie's always the knight!). 

Which is how it happens that Angie runs into Stiles and knocks him off the ladder when he's trying to put one of the new graphic novels on the top shelf. It's not that he doesn't see her shooting round the corner but he's simply not quick enough to jump of the ladder and seconds later he's buried underneath a metal ladder and about a dozen of books. Angie looks at him horrified, tears in her eyes while her brother tells her it's all her fault because she's a poophead. Angie cries. 

Derek comes running from the storeroom, panic on his face and Stiles would laugh if his head wouldn't hurt so much.

"Ouch!" he says and shoves some of the books off his body. With a huff he moves a couple books away with his feet. Derek hurries to his side and lifts the ladder off him like it weighs nothing. To Derek it probably does weigh nothing because Stiles is pretty sure Derek spends his free time lifting cars or something to maintain his very manly muscles. Stiles groans as he thinks about Derek's muscles flexing every time he carries the boxes full of books around. Wrong moment. Very wrong. 

"Are you okay?" Derek asks and Stiles pushes himself off the floor. 

"Yeah, fine. Totally fine. I mean, my head hurts but I think that's because a book fell on it?" 

Angie looks like she's going to pass out behind Derek, her eyes full of tears. 

"It's okay, ladybug, I am fine. No harm done." Stiles says with a little smile and Angie cries even more, pressing her fluffy bunny toy to her face. 

"Stiles, you're bleeding a bit. I think that book cut your skin?" 

He looks at Derek and then puts his hand on his head carefully. As he moves it away to look at it his stomach drops. 

"You're right. I am…oh." 

Stiles feels it before it happens and he kind of hates himself for being dumb enough to look at his bloody hand when he knows that even after all those years blood isn't really a thing he can look at. He feels Derek catching him in his strong arms and he remembers thinking that this would be oddly romantic if it wasn't so embarrassing. Then everything goes black.   
…  
…  
…  
"Uncle 'Tiles? Uncle 'Tiles? Wake up, Uncle 'Tiles!" 

A high-pitched voice is the first thing he hears and he recognizes it as Angie's immediately. There's something, Stiles guesses it's one of Angie's fingers, stabbing repeatedly into his side as if she was trying to tickle him.

"Stop poking him, you dumbhead." Marlon hisses next to his ear and Stiles jumps a little. 

"Don't call your sister a dumbhead, Marlon." he says.

There's a shriek and the next thing he can feel is Angie climbing on top of him, cuddling against his chest.   
"UNCLE 'TILES! UNCLE 'TILES! You live!" Angie cries and hugs Stiles tightly. 

"Yeah, Angie. Totally alive and very much okay." 

Stiles wraps his hands about Angie's tiny body and sits up, placing her in his lap. His head doesn't hurt that much anymore, not as much as before at least and he doesn't feel dizzy either which is a good sign considering a dozen books just high-fived him in the face and a ladder followed their example.  
"Angie, don't jump around on Uncle Stiles, you threw him off a ladder already." Laura walks into the room with a smile with Derek in tow and Angie jumps off Stiles' lap right into her mums arms.

"I didn't do it on pwopose, I didn't. I was a dwagon-ladybug-princess on a motorcycle and I had to catch Malon." 

Laura gently caresses Angie's hair and pulled Marlon to her side, ruffling his brown curls. "I know you didn't, I was just joking. But you need to be a bit more careful, baby-girl. Derek's shop is not a playground and it dangerous to run around like that and-" 

"Wait, a dragon-ladybug-princess on a motorcycle? That is SO cool!" Stiles asks with wide eyes and Angie beams at him. "You definitely make the best dragon-ladybug-princess on a motorcycle." 

Laura gives him an amused look and shakes her head. "Come on guys, pack your stuff. We're going to visit Cora, she's having a little party at her house and Auntie Erica will be there." 

Both kids let out a shriek that makes Stiles' ears ring and with a quick 'Bye Uncle Stiles' they are both out of the door, Laura following them with a wave. 

Stiles looks around and catches himself in the mirror. There's a 'My Little Pony' band aid on his head and he can't help but smile. Of course Angie chose her favorite band aid brand to help him heal more quickly. 

There's a knock on the door and Stiles looks up to see Derek hovering in the door way like he's unsure if he's welcome in the storage room. 

"You're good with them." he says and Stiles smiles.

"Thanks. I always had a special connection to kids…probably because I am one myself." 

Derek snorts and puts his hand on the door way, his feet shuffling inside a bit more. 

"You are but not so much anymore. You are an adult now too, just…you stayed young at heart. It's not a bad thing." 

"Yeah?" Stiles asks and puts his head to the side with a smile. "Good to know." 

Derek slowly steps inside the room, closer to Stiles and busies himself by organizing some books. 

"So, does your head still hurt?" he asks as he puts some comics on a stack. Stiles isn't really sure why Derek suddenly acts like a shy cat around him. They have been long past this kind of behavior for a while now and Stiles feels like it's a step back. 

"I am fine, Derek. Got a thick skull, you know that." 

Derek smiles. "Yeah, you do." 

He starts moving some papers around, bills maybe and Stiles feels something snap inside of him. 

"What's up, Derek? Did something happen?" Stiles heart starts beating faster. Maybe, while he'd been out, something happened. Maybe some new monster of the week had found its way into Beacon Hills to destroy their lives. But then Stiles remembers Laura's words, remembers that Cora's throwing a party tonight that is still on. 

"Did I…did I do something wrong?" His voice is thin when he asks because what if him falling off that ladder made Derek realize that he didn't want Stiles in the shop anymore? 

"No! No, you didn't. Nothing happened, I just…I am nervous." Derek blurts out and Stiles stares at him.

"You're nervous? Why the hell are you nervous?" 

"Because…" 

Derek starts moving things around again and Stiles is about to jump off the table to stop him when Derek finally grabs something and turns around. He pushes it into Stiles direction and Stiles takes it, looking confused. 

It's a CD-case, one of the cheap kind that people buy for the mix tapes they make for their friends. One of the cases Stiles uses to give Derek all kinds of music to listen to when he's found something new. There's a CD inside, shimmering silver with Derek's curly handwriting reading 'For Stiles' on it.

"What is this?" Stiles asks and Derek sighs.

"It's an audio book." 

Stiles stares at him, still confused. Maybe even more confused than before.

"You said…" Derek started and sighed again. "A few weeks back we talked about Game Of Thrones and Tolkien books and you said you liked his stories but couldn't focus long enough to read his books. So…I made an audio book for you." 

Stiles swallows because he isn't sure he's understanding this right. Derek made an audio book for him? What does that even mean?

"What do you mean you _made_ an audio book for me?"

"It means I _made_ an audio book for you. Laura helped me. She asked Lydia and Lydia asked some of her contacts and they got me time in a studio to record your audio book. It took me some time, a lot of time actually but…here it is. Your very own version of 'The Hobbit'." 

His mouth falls open, he can't help it because this moment is surreal. Derek Hale recorded a freakin audio book for him. All on his own. A whole CD filled with Derek Hale's voice reading a book to him, for him. He can't help but stare, his heart beating fast. 

"I hope you're not mad at me but I do understand how it is to not be able to focus. Cora used to have ADHD when she was younger, she couldn't focus on anything and managing the shift was probably much harder for her than for the rest of us. After…after the fire it got even worse and she couldn't read anything anymore. She had loved to read but after our parents died her brain couldn't push the pain aside and she lost the one thing that kept her going, she got depressed and sad." 

Derek's voice breaks a bit at the memory and Stiles reaches his hand out to grasp Derek's fingers gently. There's a few seconds of silence before Derek steps closer to Stiles, wrapping his fingers around Stiles' hand. 

"I started reading to her, got her all her favorite books and read them to her every night until she fell asleep, it seemed to calm her, make her happy. When she wanted to move out one day, wanted to see the world and get a bit of space I recorded some of the stories on tape so she could listen to them again and again whenever she wanted to. So she could take her remedy with her. She still listens to the recordings sometimes but she mostly plays them for Angie and Marlon when they come over to stay at her place." 

Derek stands before Stiles, his thighs touching Stiles' knees but the younger man almost doesn't notice. He's stuck in Derek's story, lulled in by Derek's voice and he understands the sentiment behind Derek's gesture. 

"So werewolves can get ADHD too?" Stiles asks and he knows it's not what Derek hoped he'd say but he wants to know. 

"Of course. We are werewolves but we are not invincible. We get depression, we get ADHD, we get…we get PTSD sometimes, too. I had PTSD a long time after the fire, after Kate, after everything. Erica still has epileptic episodes, she's not cured. I thought that if I turned her, she'd be free of it. I promised her but it turns out that you can't cure things like that with the bite. You can't just cure depression or ADHD, not even if you're a werewolf. Cora's better now because she got meds, just like you, but she'll never be fully healed." 

Stiles nods. "I didn't know that." 

They stand in silence for a while, still holding hands. There's a special kind of mood between them and Stiles is scared that if he says something, he'll ruin it…whatever 'it' is. He likes this kind of mood, it feels like there could be something more between them. Something more than what they are at the moment, something good…better. 

"I really appreciate the effort, Derek." Stiles says "I don't think anyone has ever put so much effort into making me happy but you…you do. You always do. You do so much for everyone around you and I don't think you notice how happy you make people, not just me but old Mrs. Davison down the road. Man, she digs you, I am telling you, every time you smile at her you make her entire week. And Angie and Marlon adore you, hell all the kids in this town adore you Mister 'I do princess voices'. Scott really admires you, he loves it when you give him advice and I know he won't admit it but he likes coming to you for advice. Isaac loves you, so do Erica and Boyd…you saved all of their lives and you took care of them. You are a good alpha and you make them happy, too. You make them happy because you are you." 

Derek blushes and looks down at the floor, smiling. 

"Hey, no looking away." Stiles puts his finger under Derek's chin. "I am serious. Derek, I hope you know how happy this makes me. How…how happy you make me. Every day, all the time. You…you make feel very good about being alive." 

Derek gasps and Stiles hasn't really noticed how close they are but now that Derek's breath ghosts over his face he can't think about anything else than that. 

"You make me happy too, Stiles. Very happy." 

Stiles breathes out, laughing happily and Derek's eyes sparkle in a way that Stiles has wished to see for what feels like ages. He can't help but smile up at Derek, puts his hand carefully on his cheek and cups his jaw. He knows this is the moment everything changes for them. Nothing will ever be the same from now on and he doesn't want it to stay the same. He wants that change. He didn't know he was waiting for it but now he knows. He doesn't know what 'this' is but he knows what he feels and what he wants. He knows what 'this' could be. 

"Derek…" he breathes and he's glad when Derek puts his lips on his because he doesn't know what else to say. 

They kiss lazily, carefully and it's definitely not what Stiles had expected. He'd thought about it before, in his dreams but it never was like this, never so gently. Derek's tongue touches his bottom lip and Stiles opens himself up like he's ready for Derek to steal his breath away. He is, he wants it, he doesn't need air as long as he can have Derek all day long. 

"So happy." he sighs and Derek smiles into the kiss. "You make me so happy." 

They continue kissing, moving their hands over their bodies and under their clothes, skin touching skin for the first time. Stiles gasps into Derek's mouth when Derek bites his neck gently, then more forcefully and Derek chuckles, kissing down to the hallow of Stiles' throat. 

Stiles laughs happily, tangles his fingers in Derek's hair and pulls him into a short kiss. 

"I wish I could record all _these_ sounds so I can hear them every day of my life." he jokes (he isn't sure if he's really joking though) and Derek grins.

"I think that can be arranged." he says and kisses Stiles again. 

Stiles thinks he could easily survive the rest of his life if the rest of his life looked even a little bit like this moment.


End file.
